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When I was young, I had dreams. Dreams that I planned to accomplish. Of course, what are dreams to us? Dreams are something I used to have. Dreams are something for those that aren't me. That don't have goals made for them.

The young girl walked along the folds of the waves. It was well past the time she should be home, but it wasn't like it mattered. Her family wouldn't notice, and if they did they wouldn't give search. It wasn't that their family didn't care for her, they just didn't care for her enough to care where she was.

She dug her feet into the sand and let the grainy substance pass between her toes. The sound and smell of the waves washed over her, causing her to smile in content. The beach was nearby her home. It was a sanctuary to say the least. She would never come during the day, for the loud beach goers ruined her calm state of mind. Besides, she felt drawn to the night anyway.

She sat down in the spot where she was standing, and watched the waves crash before her. Her feet had been drawn up from under the sand, and every once in awhile a wave would come close enough to lightly soak her delicate feet. She shuddered in sheer delight at the feeling of the coolness being brought to her body. She never was one for heat.

As she hummed a melody with her eyes closed, a wave moved up higher then all the previous ones. It drenched her to her waist, causing her to jerk her eyes open in shock. As the water faded back into the ocean, she noticed a shell had washed onto her waist. A complete shell, white as snow, gleamed with the moonlight. Her reflection stared back at her, as she examined the delicate treasure. She looked down for a split second, and when her eyes returned to the shell, a gasp left her lips...

Through the shell, she saw a dark shadowy figure leaning over her shoulder, staring into the shell as well. It's teeth bared in a smirk that made her feel small and helpless. It brought its tongue against her bare skin, tasting the sea salt that gently sprayed onto her.

"My dear, you seem absolutely stunning in this moonlight," it spoke in cold raspy words.

She refused to reply, too scared to move. This... thing. Whatever it was... it wasn't something pleasant. She could feel the nightmare-ish aura radiating off of it's deathly pale skin. The aura isn't what terrified her the most though... What scared her the most, was that this figure, with a menacing presence, was too gorgeous to be real. His silver hair contrasted her pink-ish color, and his skin, made her look darker than she really was.

"My dear, it isn't very kind to ignore a compliment from a demon."

She froze. A demon. A demon was touching her, invading her inner sanctum. A demon... what was it? Why was he here? Why was he touching her? Why her? Why?! Her brain couldn't handle the stress and she fainted.

The demon chucked, the sound vibrating through his throat, and chilling the air. This was the girl he would mark. She was too interesting to pass up, and he felt the power radiating off her skin. He would curse her, and maybe, she would be different. Maybe, just maybe, she would be the one to save both of them...

She gasped as she woke up, instantly sitting up. Looking around she found she was still at the beach. What had happened? Was last night a dream?

"My my, you slept the night away," a cool voice jerked her away from her thoughts. She turned to the figure in question, and gasped. Everything had been true. Last night was no dream...

"Who are you?" she questioned, her voice slightly shaking.

"I am Amakawa, the demon," he replied nonchalantly.

"You certainly don't resemble a demon...," the words escaped before she could stop herself. Truth to her word, he looked more like a godly human then a demon. Silver hair, gray eyes, and pale skin. Something the girls she knew would swoon over.

"My dear, you don't know the truth of demons then."

"Why? Why are you here? Why are you speaking with me?"

"Why, why would I leave before telling you your fate?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"My fate? What would you know of such a topic?" her voice began to tremble with anger.

"Well, if you look at your chest, you'll see what I mean," he pointed down to the area above her breasts. She followed his fingers and gasped as a small, yet intricate symbol marred her skin.

"What is this?! What did you do to me?!" she cried out.

"I've marked you. A curse if you will. How old are you?" he switched topics without fully answering her.

She was infuriated, yet couldn't manage to fight back. A curse? What the hell was wrong with this... this thing?! She complied to his question, praying in her mind that his odd question somehow related. "I am sixteen, soon to be seventeen on the first of December."

"Well my dear, then you have a total of two years. Two years before I come to take you away to my own sanctum. Two years of freedom, unless of course you can break my curse..." he trailed off.

"Why? Why do this to me?!"

"For my own purposes. You humans know us demons as evil, devious, dastardly... and they are all true."

She felt like weeping. Why? Why did this happen to her? "Your curse... the way to break it... how...," her voice barely made it over a whisper.

His eyes softened as he glanced at her purple ones. She was different from the other girls, she tried to stay strong, and for that he commended her. "Before you turn of age, nineteen, you must find your true love..."

She looked up at this. Her true love? Love... what was that...?

"What... what is this love?" she asked in a whisper.

His eyes widened. How was he supposed to tell her what love was? He was a demon. He looked at her eyes, and somehow, she had glanced up to look at him. Her eyes told that she really had no idea. This had never happened before. A human not knowing what love was... He had always hoped that the ones he cursed could show him, teach him, what love was... but they taught him lust. Not love. Selfish creatures they were. So how, how was he supposed to teach her love?

"I... I cannot tell you. I can only tell you... to humans, it is a strong emotion. As a demon... it is not something I'm... I'm not supposed to ever feel it, so I wouldn't know."

She pondered on this thought, and made an ultimatum, to except her fate and wait for him to take her away, or search.

"I will search for this "love" and I will break this curse," she declared before standing and looking at him directly in the eyes. They reflected a pain that she could not comprehend. She then walked away. She didn't need to tell him where she would go, what she would do... she knew that he would be watching her. Waiting... Waiting to see if she could do it.

That was over a year ago. That memory. It was summer time, a nightly festival. Kimono's flowed as men, women, and children alike laughed in merriment at the Moonlight Festival. She watched them from the temple, sitting on the edge of the pond, feet dipped in the cool water. These months were grueling. Since that fateful day, she left home. Ashamed of her mark. Scared, because she knew that if she didn't leave on her own, they would chase her away.

Her hand reached for yet another Anko (Dango) and munched away. This festival had little sweets that the children didn't grab for forcefully, so the only sweets she could obtain were these mildly sweet dango. Curse that damn demon for making her rely on these things, curse that damn old man for releasing her captive exorcist powers. Scratch that, she couldn't curse the man, for he took her in, but still.

Exorcism. When she ran away, when said old geezer had found her, he had realized her mark. He didn't shun her though, nor did he perform an exorcism on her. She was not a demon, just marked. She did however, have the aura of one with powers unobtainable for a normal human. He took her in, and released her powers. It was a painful process, yet it protected her from other demons. Amakawa had yet to mention that being marked by one demon, made others have a need to... dispose of you. That or take you for their own. Cursed demon.

"I swear I'll punch him in the face when I see him," she yelled out before punching her fists into the air. She didn't hate him anymore, well... to tell you the truth she could never hate this demon. It shocked her. A demon. An exorcist couldn't hate a demon. It may be due to the fact, that he seemed in pain when he had marked her. As if, he regretted it. She wasn't exactly fond of him... or was she?

Day after day, night after night, all her thoughts were consumed by Amakawa. The demon. The holder of her fate. Pulling her kimono down slightly, she looked at the mark... something that bound her to him. Was it the doing of this mark that she felt drawn to him? Was it even possible?

"Must find... true love..."

His words echoed through her head. Love... she still hadn't found out the meaning. She had met young men her age, and pursued, but felt nothing. Wasn't love supposed to be something strong? Something that consumed your being? Something that you knew as soon as you felt it. Why? Why couldn't she experience love? Her mind wandered back to what the old man had said.

"Jiji-san, what is love?" Rasetsu asked calmly. The had just finished one of her lessons, and now had a mild amount of free time.

"Thinking of the curse again Rase?" he asked.

"Yes... I still don't know what love is Jiji-san."

"My child, love I cannot teach you exactly what it is. I can tell you that when you're in love... you'll always have the person of said interest occupying your thoughts. You'll feel drawn to them. You'll feel like you need them..." he trailed off in a daze.

Rasetsu looked at him with compassion. She knew he had lost his loved one prior to her coming into his home. She had been taken by a demon... yet Jiji-san didn't hate demons. No. He hated the one demon that took away his wife. Tenma. Jiji-san was on a constant hunt for said demon.

An exorcist he may be, he believed not all demons need to be slayed, and he was teaching this to Rase. She let him continue in his thoughts, not wanting to disturb his memories.

When he had snapped out of it, he turned to Rasetsu, and simply said, "Love, will come," before walking off to his room.

Being drawn to them... occupying thoughts...

"Ama...," she whispered softly.

No. She couldn't love a demon... there was no way... was there? She reached for the seashell around her neck. The item she has always worn since that fateful day. Without it, she panicked... it reminded her of... Amakawa.